via Pxhere
NYPD is making headlines in the subways of New York City. This time it’s because of their heavy-handed policing, and video shows just how bad police harassment is for subway goers - both young and old!
Over-policing in the subways isn’t a new thing. Now that the NYPD is getting more funding and more police in the subway, everyone is feeling it.
That includes food vendors, who police have been seen arresting in several viral videos that have caused outrage.
There’s also been harassment over fare evasion. The city is going to spend $249 million on police to save $200 million it says it’s losing because of fare evasion. Make that make sense!
Don’t forget the fact that this is all happening while the subway is deteriorating and becoming increasingly unreliable for those who depend on it.
New York’s Governor Cuomo announced “an additional 500 police officers to curb ‘quality of life issues’ in the transit system and enhance cleanliness and safety” in September. However, the quality of many people’s lives directly relates to the subway functioning.
If New York City wants to make the subways better, it will have to focus on the core issues, like the trains themselves and how accessible they are for everyone. Instead, they’re making an age-old mistake by sending the police to do a job that does nothing more than target vulnerable people.